Chapter 5: Everyone Scores First

After the interview came the written exam. By the time they entered the exam hall, some candidates were already missing.

Yao Jia held her pen, staring at the multiple-choice and essay questions on the paper, unable to start writing. She finally understood why Ling Xiaoxin had repeated one sentence thirty times last night, practically brainwashing her:

“Jia Jia, if you don’t want to lose the bet with your dad, when you answer the written exam tomorrow, you must write the opposite of what you think. For example, if you think something is right, choose the opposite. Choose the opposite! Remember?”

Ling Xiaoxin’s desperate advice echoed in Yao Jia’s ears. She quickly brainwashed herself with it, then wrote down answers that were the opposite of her true thoughts:

—How should you handle a difficult and unreasonable customer? Please answer in writing.

Yao Jia mentally ranted: Curse them! Hit them! Chase them away!

Then she wrote the opposite on the paper: No matter how angry you are, you can’t hit or curse. Don’t argue with them, just take off the headset and let them talk.

—When handling customer complaints, you should first determine who is right or wrong. If the complaint is not the company’s fault, you shouldn’t apologize to the customer. Judge whether this statement is correct.

Yao Jia thought this was perfectly reasonable; you shouldn’t indulge someone’s bad habits of being unreasonable. But following the principle of answering oppositely, she marked it with an X.

…

After leaving the exam hall, Tian Huasheng stopped Yao Jia and Meng Xingzhe, beaming as he asked, “How did it go?”

Tong Yumo appeared from nowhere, also asking, “Did you do well?”

Before Yao Jia could answer, Tian Huasheng, in a high-pitched voice, suggested, “Want to compare answers?”

“???” Yao Jia was bewildered.

Is this the college entrance exam? Comparing answers?!

She glanced at Meng Xingzhe beside her. He looked confident, his demeanor and gaze full of superiority, as if on the day the results were announced, he would ascend the throne based on his report card.

“…” Yao Jia felt she couldn’t understand these people anymore.

Tian Huasheng, controlling the pace, threw out a test question, pulling everyone into the process of comparing answers.

“‘How should you handle a difficult and unreasonable customer?’ How did you answer this one?”

Yao Jia said, “Don’t argue with them, just take off the headset and let them talk.” After speaking, Yao Jia felt like she was possessed. She was actually cooperating in comparing answers.

Meng Xingzhe glanced at her, seemingly disapproving of her answer.

“You should try to communicate calmly first, but if they keep insulting you, clearly tell them they can’t just curse people because,” Meng Xingzhe’s speech sped up, “insulting people violates public security regulations. Victims of public insults or defamation can report to the police for investigation.”

Yao Jia mentally exclaimed. She thought this approach was quite strong. Who knew that beneath Meng Xingzhe’s pretentious exterior lay some skill and tactics.

But Tian Huasheng looked at Yao Jia, then at Meng Xingzhe, in disbelief.

“Do you guys have some misunderstanding about the customer service position? You don’t think being in customer service means you have human rights, do you?”

“What did you answer?” Yao Jia asked. Surely it didn’t require groveling and calling the customer ‘Dad’?

Tian Huasheng straightened his expression, switching to a news broadcast tone, enunciating clearly, “Try to communicate with the customer, but if they persist with unreasonable demands, escalate to a manager.”

“…” Yao Jia gave Tian Huasheng a thumbs up.

Impressive, handling it with ease. A real talent.

Beside them, Tong Yumo let out a yelp, startling Yao Jia.

“Ah!”

The three of them gave her the attention she expected, six eyes all on her.

“I think I got that question wrong too!” Tong Yumo said sadly, her expression identical to every unlucky kid who found out they answered wrong after the college entrance exam, making her quite pitiable.

After comparing one question, Tian Huasheng wanted to continue.

Yao Jia was more tactful: “I can’t remember.”

Meng Xingzhe was direct: “I don’t want to.” Yet his face still bore the confidence of someone about to ascend the throne, as if saying, “Tremble, you losers. Worship me when the results come out, for I am first.”

Tong Yumo looked pitiful: “I’m afraid I got it wrong again.”

“…” They hadn’t even compared more answers yet, how could she know she was wrong again? Yao Jia silently grumbled in her heart.

Tian Huasheng seemed a bit regretful: “Oh well.”

Yao Jia looked at his regretful yet secretly confident expression and finally understood.

“Tian Huasheng, you just wanted to show off your good answers, didn’t you?”

Tian Huasheng’s burly face turned bashful, covering his mouth with his large fist, he laughed shyly, “You saw through me!”

“…” Yao Jia thought, impressive.

This batch of interviewees seemed like none of them were normal.

Impressive.

※※※

The written exam results were released that afternoon, along with the list of those accepted after the second interview, ranked by their scores.

All four of them scored first.

Yao Jia stared at the acceptance list, frozen for a full minute, only sighing at how perilous life truly was. Glancing sideways, she noticed Meng Xingzhe was frozen even longer than she was. His flawless profile was clouded with anger—pure anger—because he and Yao Jia were tied at the bottom of the list, both scoring last.

Tian Huasheng and Tong Yumo were tied for the top position.

Yao Jia thought that the four of them were typical of every high school class. The most classic example was Meng Xingzhe, who always believed he had aced the exams, exuding confidence, only to end up at the bottom of the rankings.

Then there was Tong Yumo, who would always claim to have done poorly and even regret to the point of tears, yet when the results were announced, she consistently ranked first.

As for herself, she was the kind of student who didn’t strive for progress, relying on sheer luck to achieve good grades.

Tian Huasheng was the quintessential academic achiever.

Yao Jia suddenly imagined that if they all worked together in the future, their boss might become the most exasperated teacher.

That evening, Yao Jia returned home and shared the good news with Ling Xiaoxin, telling her that she had passed both the interview and written test and had been accepted. Starting tomorrow, she would begin a ten-day pre-job training.

Ling Xiaoxin let out a long sigh of relief and whispered, “You have no idea how worried I was today. I kept thinking that with your personality, you’d be eliminated.”

Yao Jia admitted that she had indeed ranked last.

Ling Xiaoxin gasped, “Was it really that close? Oh my, I knew my worries weren’t unfounded. Statistically, you were likely not to make it.”

There were always moments when Yao Jia wondered if she should have picked a different best friend when she was younger.

Before bed, Gan Yu knocked on the door. She asked Yao Jia, “Did you get in?”

The anticipation Yao Jia had been holding onto all night suddenly deflated.

She had been secretly guessing whether Yao Bingkun already knew she had been accepted. She hoped he knew and had a faint desire to hear him say, “I didn’t expect you to actually get in.”

But it seemed Yao Bingkun knew nothing.

Yao Jia tucked away any expectations and desires she shouldn’t have had. She put on a nonchalant face and told her mother, “I got in, but my score was a bit low, the last among those accepted.”

Gan Yu frowned, unable to hide her disappointment. “Indeed, it would have been better if you had scored higher.” She paused, “But at least you got in. So, do your best.”

After her mother left, Yao Jia lay in bed and sighed. It wasn’t that she didn’t work hard, but even when she tried in areas she wasn’t good at, her results still disappointed her parents. How could she break out of this predicament?

She used the remote to open the curtains and looked at the night sky through the glass.

The moon was obscured by clouds, and the stars were dim. Such an unbright night was perfect for someone unhappy to hide under the covers and blame everything on bad weather.

In essence, her mother and father weren’t much different. Their expectations were too high, and they were reluctant to give her any praise or affirmation. The only difference was that her mother wouldn’t lose her temper with her.

But this kind of non-violent disapproval made her terribly sleepless.

※※※※※※

Meng Xingzhe returned home after a picky dinner at an exclusive restaurant where meals started at several thousand yuan. After a relaxing bath with a custom-made fragrance by a world-class perfumer, he put on his limited edition pajamas and settled into his beloved gold-plated 4D massage chair. He opened his laptop to review the day’s business at his company and respond to necessary work emails.

Suddenly, his chat software popped up in the taskbar, buzzing insistently until he answered.

Meng Xingzhe clicked accept.

Bei Luonan’s face appeared so close to the camera that it was distorted.

He asked Meng Xingzhe, “I’ve been waiting for you to brag about your exam results, which isn’t like you at all. Did you mess up? Were you kept out of Kunyu’s doors? So, does that mean your shares are mine since you couldn’t go undercover?”

“Nonsense,” Meng Xingzhe said with a regal air, using coarse language. “Your Master Meng is busy with countless affairs, no time for such trivial matters.”

Bei Luonan burst into laughter, showing even his uvula to Meng Xingzhe.

Suddenly, he stopped laughing, his voice cutting off abruptly. “Xingxing, stop pretending. I checked Kunyu Electric’s official website. You ranked last.” He paused for two seconds, then couldn’t help but laugh again.

As he laughed, he wiped away tears of genuine amusement, saying, “Xingxing, I can foresee that Kunyu Electric will be the start of your Waterloo!”

Meng Xingzhe glared at the screen, spitting, “Stop calling me Xingxing, it’s disgusting.” Then he angrily tried to hang up the call.

Bei Luonan quickly shouted seriously, “Wait, wait, wait! Master Meng, my ancestor, listen to me.”

Afraid Meng Xingzhe would really hang up, he spoke in one breath, “So, as we discussed, we’re using Xingbei Technology’s wholly-owned subsidiary to develop the Smart Communication Chip. How do you want to proceed with this?”

In the company, Meng Xingzhe was mainly responsible for planning and financial allocation, while Bei Luonan handled technology and some management tasks.

Meng Xingzhe said, “Then quickly prepare the materials and have the Administrative Manager handle the registration of the subsidiary. Transfer all the chip development personnel to the subsidiary. I’ll draft a stock incentive plan later, giving each of them some shares so they can work steadily at Xingbei Technology.” After a pause, Meng Xingzhe added, “As for the future funding gap for research and development, I’ll take care of it. If all goes well, it should be resolved in a few days.”

“Got it, our reliable Meng Ancestor,” Bei Luonan flattered him, then suddenly changed the topic, bringing up the sore subject. “Cheer up, Xingxing, coming in last once doesn’t mean anything, don’t be upset,” he paused, delivering another blow, “After all, there might be a second time coming in last!”

Meng Xingzhe, infuriated, closed the video call and tossed his laptop aside.

Was he out of his mind to make this bet with Bei Luonan?

※※※※※※

The first task after joining was a two-week Pre-job Training. The Human Resources Department had arranged a Trainer to conduct classes for everyone. Yao Jia and the others were assigned to the call center, responsible for answering customer calls and resolving their issues.

Whether by chance or fate, during the training, Yao Jia found herself sitting right next to Meng Xingzhe.